Another Ash and May Romance
by StartersoverLegends
Summary: It's been two years since Ash left May for the Sinnoh region, but something just isn't right... unable to take the seperation anymore, they decide to go after each other. But little did the teens know what challenges would await them. Contains advanceship
1. Chapter 1: Heartbreak in Hoenn

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**Startersoverlegends**

**Chapter 1:** _Heartbreak in Hoenn_

"Alright Roserade, use Pedal Dance!" Drew called to his loyal grass pokemon which somewhat resembled a thorn bush.

At hearing its trainer's command, Roserade put its two flowery appendages together with an aim at the Glaceon that it was facing. With a flash of light a twister of cherry pedals expelled from its core at the ice-type opponent.

"Glaceon, dodge it then use Ice Beam!" May called to her own pokemon in response. But despite her orders, Glaceon was stopped in mid-bound by a barrage of smashing petals. May grimaced. It was a move that she and Glaceon could have easily avoided on a good day. But unfortunately for Glaceon, today was anything but a good day for her master.

"Glaceon, are you okay?" May asked her pokemon as it shakily got to its feet.

"Glae!" It called out in confirmation, though pain was obvious in its voice.

"Alright, just hang in there!" She encouraged.

_Get a hold of yourself!_ May thought to herself brutally. _Focus on the battle! _But no matter how hard she tried, her mind was just somewhere else.

"Roserade, use Solarbeam!" Drew ordered his longtime contest partner, going straight for the finisher. Roserade without hesitation spread out its arms as it absorbed the sun's energy for the powerful attack.

"Glaceon, use Blizzard!" May called out in desperation. She knew that if that Solarbeam hit, it was over for Glaceon. A freezing aura surrounded the beautiful pokemon as it stored energy for the attack. But before fully ready to use the freezing move, Roserade unleashed its attack, firing an intense beam of light at its adversary.

"Now, Glaceon!" May shouted out. She knew that it wasn't totally charged, but any more time and Roserade's attack would hit before she could even think about firing back.

"Glaaae!" Glaceon cried as it sent a large blast of icy wind and frozen shards flying at the oncoming attack. But as impressive as the move might seem, it was weak compared to their usual Blizzard.

The two blasts met, and in a snapshot moment each leveled off against the other at a stalemate in midair. _Hang on! _May thought as she clenched her fists. Suddenly, the blue bolt from the Blizzard gained a few feet, pushing back the Grass attack. May's optimism soared, seeing as Glaceon might have a chance to win this after all. However, as soon as May got her hopes up, Blizzard wavered with Glaceon unable to hold it any longer.

"No!" May called out, seeing her precious pokemon waver under the pressure of delivering a perfect attack in less than ideal conditions.

Glaceon gave an intense cry while mustering all of its strength to push back. Although using every last ounce of gusto that it contained, Glaceon's Blizzard faded slightly allowing Solarbeam to shoot forward.

"Look out!" May shouted, but to no avail. The intense beam of solar energy blasted into Glaceon, sending it flying from the massive explosion that resulted of the impact. May gasped as her beloved Glaceon landed hard in front of her, unable to battle any further.

"Glaceon, return." May said solemnly as she returned the Fresh Snow Pokemon to its pokeball. She gave a weak smile to the device as it rested comfortably in her palm. "You did great. You deserve a good long rest." She spoke to her friend as she pocketed the Pokeball. Even after years of being a Pokemon Trainer, May was still unsure as to if her pokemon could hear her from inside of their capsules. But regardless, it had become a ritual so she would praise them after every battle.

Drew, after congratulating his own pokemon, had called it back as well and was now making his way across meadow that served as a makeshift battlefield over to May. It was still a good battle, but he could tell that something was up. She and Glaceon had become almost unstoppable together after it had evolved from an Evee. It was their intense bonds and impressive power that had encouraged Drew to evolve his Roselia, in the hopes that he would impress her. But despite how much training he put into raising his pokemon, May had long since surpassed him as a trainer and won at almost every battle that they shared.

"May," He started as he approached her. "Is something bothering you? You weren't exactly in top form during that battle."

May let out a sigh and looked up at her green-haired rival. "It's fine, I just… Need some time to think."

Drew gave a concerned look. "Do you want to talk about it? You know, there's this really great restaurant nearby that Nurse Joy was telling me about. Maybe we could-"

"No, no it's ok." May said, cutting him off. "really. But thanks anyway."

"Oh…" He replied, downcast. "Well maybe some other time then?"

"Sure." May said, repeating the same answer that she gave every time he had asked her out. As she walked away from him a pang of guilt hit her. She hated being so snappy, but lately Drew had been relentless in his pursuit of romance with her. May couldn't be sure, but it seemed like everywhere that she went, Drew would make sure that he would arrive at the same time- trying to get closer to her and eventually asking her out somewhere. She liked him and everything, but just not like that. It was more of an adversary/ friend relationship to her- although it was obvious that Drew wanted more than that.

It was a beautiful day in the Hoenn region as May walked a dirt path toward the city that she was currently staying in for a local contest. Flowers of all colors and designs had sprung up among the emerald green grass along the path, flourishing in the early summer weather. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and bird pokemon were happily chirping as they flew from tree to tree. But despite how beautiful it was outside, May walked the trail alone and with her head hung. Max had finally come of age to start his own pokemon journey and had went off to explore Hoenn with his pokemon. Her parents still resided in Petalburg City, keeping in touch through video phone and occasionally coming to see her compete in contests. And as for Brock and Ash, they had parted ways with her a few years ago on their way to the Sinnoh region. This left her to traveling alone. And although the lack of distractions was great for training her pokemon team and making it to all of Hoenn's contests, she missed the company of her good friends. One old friend in particular was constantly on her mind, and she would give anything to have him here with her. It was a certain dark-haired boy with an extreme love for pokemon battling. See, it wasn't that May couldn't find different people to travel with. A beautiful and flamboyant girl like her could easily find more friends to accompany her as she journeyed across Hoenn. The problem was that she simply didn't want new people to travel with. This was due to what happened shortly after she and Ash had went their separate ways.

It was two years ago. As Ash and Brock prepared to board a ship in Slateport city headed for Sinnoh, May gave an emotional goodbye to her friends. Unable to go with them due to the upcoming Grand Festival that she had trained so hard for, May was forced to let them go. She had given Brock a quick hug as a farewell, but she was honestly more hurt by Ash's departure. Through their adventures together, May had developed strong feelings for Ash. But by the time she realized that these feelings had crossed from a friendly crush into true love, he was already planning to depart to Sinnoh. As badly as May wanted to profess her love to him, to beg him to stay with her, she resisted. She knew that Ash was destined for great things in Sinnoh and didn't want to hold him back. So when the time came for their goodbyes, she hugged him tightly and was surprised by how close he had hugged her back. She could still remember his sparkling hazelnut eyes and his warm smile as they let go of each other. She felt blurring tears welling in her eyes and had turned and walked off before Ash could notice her emotion shine through. It was tough at first, not being with him. But the Grand Festival was a good distraction and allowed her to clear her mind a bit. She also grew closer to her pokemon team- particularly the Evee that she raised since she had hatched it from an egg. But even with all of her travels and friendships, it always felt as though something was missing. She spent many nights dreaming about him just to wake up crying. Luckily, she had her loving pokemon to comfort her through those hard times and work up her strength for the next day. It was through this pain that the teenaged Pokemon Coordinator made a vow that she would never travel with new people if Ash wasn't a part of the group too. She didn't want to find someone else, and understood that nobody could understand how much she adored him.

But today, the burning desire to see him was worse than ever before.

May knew it the second she woke up, because she had kept the date carved in her memory ever since his departure. It was the anniversary of the day that he had left her- the day that she was on her own. The day she knew that she was in love. Still, May put up a brave face and went throughout her day as usual- although Ash was constantly in the back of her mind.

A teardrop hit the ground below her feet and she stopped walking. Even after 2 years, she was still missing him as much as the day he had left.

"Are you alright, May?" She heard a voice.

"Huh?" May asked as she looked up. The speaker was the Nurse Joy of the town- May had walked all the way to the doors of the Pokemon Center without even noticing.

"Yeah, i-it's nothing." May said as she wiped the pain out of her eyes.

"Ok…" The pokemon nurse said, although not looking convinced. "What brings you here today?" She changed her voice to be casual for May's sake.

"My Glaceon is hurt." May said, pulling out her pokeball and handing it to the pink-haired pokemon doctor.

"Hm. I'll take a look. Why don't you wait in here in the meantime?"

May accepted and entered the red building, taking a seat on one of the plush benches. As Nurse Joy took the pokeball to a room in the back of the building, May tried to clear her mind of the past. Little did she know who _just so happened_ to be in the Pokemon Center at the same time as her.

"May?" She heard a familiar voice from across the room.

She looked up to see the very kid who had beat her and her Glaceon earlier today, standing to face her and holding a bouquet of roses.

"Drew?" She asked. The curiosity in her voice was for the sake of the unusually large quantity of roses, not his actual presence since this sort of thing happened all the time.

"I, uh…" He was uncharacteristically nervous. "I noticed that it looked like you were having a bad day, so I thought I would get these for you."

"Oh, thanks Drew. That's really sweet." She said nonchalantly. Roses were his trademark, so she got them a lot.

As he handed her the bouquet, she already knew what was coming next.

"Also, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to the movies with me tonight? There's this really good romance movie out, and-"

"No!" She shouted suddenly, jumping up and cutting him off. "Would you just cut it out? I already love someone else!"

As Drew stared at her in surprise, May was also shocked by her harsh words. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands as a blush spread over her face. It had come out of nowhere, undoubtedly a result of what today stood for. Feeling terrible, she tried to sugarcoat the words that she couldn't take back.

"I'm sorry…" She said gently and lowering her hands. "It's just… I've had a long day."

Drew shook his head. "No, I get it."

"Huh?" She replied, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"It's that Ash kid isn't it?" He challenged her. "You still miss him, don't you?"

Her silence answered his question as she looked down at the floor in disgrace.

"That's what I thought." He said, turning toward the door. "You're still on the ground from when you fell for that loser in the first place."

May knew that he was saying these things out of pain, but still found herself jumping to Ash's defense.

"Ash is a ten times better trainer than you'll ever be!" She shouted with her fists clenched, her yells stopping Drew in the doorway. "He's kinder, and sweeter, and he's the best friend I've ever had!"

In his signature Drew arrogance, he grunted sarcastically and flipped his hair before walking out of the building.

"Whatever, I can't believe I ever wasted my time with you." He said indifferently. "I can pick up a girl anytime I want."

May wanted to give a clever comeback in response, but knew that he was right. Girls fell all over him at contests. As the doors closed behind him, may collapsed onto the bench with an aggravated snort.

"Who is he to call Ash a 'loser'?" She mumbled under her breath. Her face was still red with anger as Nurse Joy returned with her prized pokeball.

"Did something happen May?" The nurse asked politely, seeing the raw emotion on her face. May let out a breath to ease her rage.

"Nothing, really." She said, receiving the pokeball from Joy. "How's Glaceon?"

"All it needs is some rest." Nurse Joy replied happily. "Tomorrow it will be as good as new."

"That's fantastic," May said, smiling in relief. "Thank you."

As she looked out the window, May realized that it was already starting to get dark and decided it was time to return to the hotel she had been staying in lately. Saying her goodbyes to Nurse Joy, May stepped out into the evening cool and began walking through the city. Due to her successful Coordinator career, she could afford one of the nicer hotels in town. And it didn't hurt that the manager was a fan of contests, either. Finally, she approached the tall building and entered through the stainless automatic doors. She was still fuming over what Drew had said, so she took the elevator straight to her room- on a higher level with a good view over the city. In doing this she skipped dinner, something that May would never do under normal circumstances. Walking into the cozy yet massive room, May slammed the door behind her and flopped down on the king-sized bed.

"Finally," She said to herself as she stared up at the ceiling. "Today's almost over."

It had felt like an eternity, but a part of her still didn't want for it to end. Maybe it was just the fact that she felt somewhat connected to Ash today. This both saddened her more and lifted her up. Sighing, she stood and crossed over to a dresser with a large round mirror hanging over it. As was her habit, May stopped and checked how she looked. She wore the same outfit she had when she had traveled with Ash and Brock- A red jacket with a white t-shirt under and tight blue shorts. And of course her signature red bandana with the pokeball symbol printed on it. Satisfied with how she looked, she smiled then proceeded to change into her sleeping clothes- a blue night gown that went well with her cerulean eye color. She turned out the light and climbed into bed. She really needed a good night's sleep after what had happened today, but knew that the chances of her getting any sleep at all were slim. After an hour of staring up at the ceiling of the dark room, May felt the urge that she always got when she was thinking about Ash too much to sleep. The only light source of the room was from the window, where the full moon sent a beam of light cascading onto May's form in the bed. Through this light, she reached over to her trainer's bag and retrieved a worn piece of paper from one of the pockets. She smiled as she felt it's familiar texture, each of the folds and wrinkles that had formed over time to make it unique. Looking down at the parchment for a second, she slowly unfolded it to reveal the message inside. The handwriting wasn't great, but it was calligraphy that she treasured nonetheless. It read

_May, have fun entering contests with your pokemon! I know that if you try you can reach the Grand Festival in no time. I'll be cheering for you!_

_-Ash_

She sighed happily. This little note had comforted her on plenty of occasions. She had discovered it in her backpack the day after Ash had left- obviously he had stuck it in there because he was too shy to give it to her himself. She closed her eyes as she pressed the beloved keepsake against her nose and inhaled some of Ash's scent. The aroma had faded over time, but was still there to make her feel better. She slowly opened her eyes as she pulled it away from her face when she noticed something.

"Huh?" She asked aloud as she sat up in bed and reached for the lamp on her bedside nightstand. As the soft light illuminated the note, May realized that there was something else scribbled underneath his original note, though he had obviously erased it and re-wrote it several times. Straining to read the faded letters, she could just make out some of the message.

_I'll miss you May. I-_

The rest was too hard to make out. She held the note against her chest and let out a lonely sigh.

"I miss you too, Ash." She said softly, a single tear running down her cheek. But without warning the sadness was converted to anger. "If you knew you were going to miss me then why did you leave!?" She yelled at the note. "Why didn't you stay!?" She was weeping bitterly now, a hurricane of emotions revolving around this one little letter. Falling onto her back on the bed once more, she directed her mixed feelings at herself. "I should have gone with him." She said bitterly. "Or I should have begged him to stay."

And _I should have, I should have, I should have._

Finally, the storm of pain and anger subsided like May knew it would, and she was left feeling simply lonely once more. Letting out a sigh, she got out of bed and crossed to the door that led out onto the balcony of her room. As she stepped out onto the concrete rising, the cool summer breeze nipped at her exposed arms, legs, and face. Quietly, she crossed to the edge rail and rested against it, looking out over the city and the giant full moon that backlit her view. The wind gently whipped against her hair, sending it swaying to the breeze's will. Her gown was also gently stirring in the wind and she stood there still for several minutes, thinking.

_Ash, what do I do? _She thought as she gazed out into the dark night. She knew that he wouldn't be able to hear her, but didn't care. She wanted direction. _Should I try to find you? _A bit of fear stirred in her as she contemplated this, as she had countless times before. On a few occasions she had almost quit contests to search for him, but was too intimidated to take real action. May was afraid that when she did finally find him he wouldn't want her around, or will have found someone else, or the worst- that he wouldn't remember her. As her childlike hopes of receiving an answer faded, she pulled a pokeball out of her gown pocket and sent out her Glaceon for support. She didn't care that she was asking a pokemon's opinion on the matter. After two years of debating the subject in her mind, May was almost ready to flip a coin.

"Glae!" The pokemon greeted its trainer with a smile, which May returned in the bluish light of the moon.

"It looks like you're feeling a lot better Glaceon," May said happily.

"Gla Glaceon!" It replied with a purr.

"Hey Glaceon," She started to ask her friend as she looked back out over the city. "Do you know what day it is?"

To her slight surprise, the pokemon nodded it's head sadly at the thought. May hadn't known it, but Glaceon had its own heartbreak moment when Pikachu had left with Ash.

"Oh you do." May said quietly. "Then you understand what I'm going through, huh?"

Again, the catlike pokemon nodded. After all of this time it had been strong for May, though everyday it missed the Electric Mouse pokemon.

"What do we do? Do we go to find him or stay and do contests?"

After a pause, the Ice-type pokemon let out a mew and took off for the entrance to her room.

"Huh?" May turned around to see it clawing at the wooden door. "What's gotten into you Glaceon?" She asked as she walked in from the balcony.

"Glae Glae!" It replied urgently while trying to operate the doorknob on its own.

"You want to go somewhere?" May asked.

"Cei!" It replied, sounding more impatient by the minute.

"Okay, Okay!" May said, giving in. "Let me get dressed."

She quickly changed out of her gown and into her trainer clothes, though leaving her backpack in the room. As soon as May had opened the door, Glaceon took off down the hallway, leaving her trainer way behind.

"Hey, wait up!" May shouted after her pokemon as she locked her room door.

Running after the agile Ice-type, May was highly curious as to what her pokemon might be up to. Whatever it was, Glaceon was in a hurry and showed it by not slowing a bit for May to catch up. By the time the pokemon had bolted out of the tall building and into the night, May was nearly exhausted.

"Where are you… going?" She yelled between breaths as she ran. It seemed that all she could see of her pokemon was its tail as it disappeared behind another corner. And another one. And another one. After what felt like a marathon, May saw her prized Glaceon sitting patiently on the doorstep of the Pokemon Center as it waited for her.

"What… Was that… About!?" May asked as she stood doubled-over, catching her breath.

In response, the pokemon merely smiled and purred as if it had done her a great favor. May thought for a second.

"The Pokemon Center, huh?" She asked as she straightened up. "Are you still hurt from your battle earlier?"

As a response, Glaceon gave an aggravated mew and clawed May lightly on her leg.

"Ow!" May yelped as she jumped back. "That wasn't very nice!"

Glaceon rolled its eyes in a _'Do I have to spell this out for you?'_ manner and walked into the center through the automatic glass doors. After a moment May followed to see Glaceon rubbing up on Nurse Joy's leg while purring loudly.

"Oh, May!" Nurse Joy greeted her with a smile. "If Glaceon's hurt then you got here just in time, The Center will be closing here in a few minutes. Although it doesn't look injured." The nurse observed as she bent down and affectionately scratched the purring pokemon's head.

"No, Glaceon's fine." May started, still confused as to why it drug her here in the middle of the night. "I asked it a question and it took off for you-" May suddenly put the pieces together. "Wait a second- Glaceon, did you want me to talk to Nurse Joy?" She asked with her head tilted.

"Glae!" It replied happily, triumphant in its mission.

"But why her?" May thought aloud.

"I'm sorry, but am I missing something?" Nurse Joy asked politely as she had no idea what May was going on about.

"Oh, um…" May hesitated. "Nurse Joy, do you know anything about relationships?"

The pokemon nurse gave a giggle. "More than you might think."

May bit her lip nervously. She wasn't quite sure how she wanted to put the question. For so long this had been something that she had kept to herself, but here she was about to ask a near-stranger for the answers to all of her problems. Then again, Glaceon trusted Nurse Joy so why shouldn't she? May decided that this was her best chance at getting real advice.

"Well, you see… several years ago I met this boy and traveled with him for a long time." May started to fill the nurse in. "I always knew that I _liked_ him, but eventually I realized that I actually _loved_ him."

"Oh, my." Nurse Joy said politely, listening intently to May's story.

"Yeah, but right before I could tell him how I felt, he told me that he was leaving for the Sinnoh region." May felt a surge of emotion as she recalled the event. "But I had to stay because of a big contest that I had coming up- so I let him go." She continued as Nurse Joy said nothing in response.

"Oh…" Nurse Joy said, voice and face full of empathy.

"And every day since I haven't stopped thinking about him. I just can't let him go, and I would give _anything_ to be with him again." Her voice shook with emotion as she shared her burden.

"I see." Nurse Joy replied, nodding. "And how do you feel now that you've had some time apart?"

"It hurts the same as when he left…" May said, slight tears building in her eyes. "He's the only boy that I've ever loved… And I think he's the only one that I ever will."

"hm." Nurse Joy was thinking hard. "May, do you know how this boy feels about you?"

May thought back. "I don't know… He was always been really nice but I don't know if he liked me like that."

"Think hard about it." The Nurse said seriously. "Think about the things that he did for you, and how he acted around you as well."

Suddenly, May's mind was bombarded with tender moments that the two had shared. Like when they had met Manaphy and Ash had almost died trying to save the Sea Temple. She remembered how he sealed her in that capsule so that she could be safe while he risked his life. She also recalled that magical moment that they shared as they swam side-by-side among a school of Luvdisc… Along with these, countless more fond moments between the two flooded her mind as May recalled their adventures together.

"Wow…." May said, amazed that she hadn't connected the events to Ash's feelings for her after all the times that she had relived them. "Maybe he does like me."

"Oh, I think it's a little more than that." Nurse Joy said, giving her signature close-eyed smile.

"So what do I do? I've never felt so lost…" May said while looking exceedingly troubled.

"Do you want to know what I think?" The Pokemon Nurse started. "I think that you should be happy. And it sounds to me like you won't be truly happy until you're back with this boy."

May looked up at her with her large cerulean eyes.

"So do I go after him?" May asked.

"I think that's a splendid idea." The nurse smiled. "I'll tell you what- I'll even get in touch with my sisters and see if I can help you find him. How does that sound?"

May's eyes lit as a large smile grew on her face. "That sounds wonderful! Thank you so much!" She couldn't help but hug the nurse.

"Hear that, Glaceon?" She asked as she released Joy. "We're going to see Ash and Pikachu again!"

"Glae cee!" It called happily. May briefly described Ash to Nurse Joy and informed her of his traveling habits.

"I'll just contact my sisters in Sinnoh through the video phone and find out if they've seen him lately." Nurse Joy said happily as she turned and exited the room.

As they waited for the Nurse to return, both May and Glaceon were overjoyed with the result of their visit. As hard as she might try, May found that it was impossible to keep a grin from her face. _I'm finally going to see him again! _She thought, full of joy. Glaceon was also giddy with excitement, and fed off of her trainer's happiness while rubbing up against May's leg.

May was floating in blissful disbelief as she bent down and pulled Glaceon into a loving embrace. She held the pokemon tightly in spite of the cold aura that gave the girl goosebumps. This friend of hers had potentially given May her life back. The possibilities of her and Ash endlessly shot through her head until she heard the soft voice of Nurse Joy as she returned.

"Good news!" Nurse Joy said happily as she approached May. "One of my sisters in Sinnoh said that Ash had passed through not too long ago, and said that he was on his way back home to Pallet Town to see his mother."

"That's fantastic!" May stood and faced the Nurse with a smile. "I'll get to see him again in his hometown and also finally get to meet his mom!"

Ash had told her many things about his mother, and from what May could gather she was an exceptional woman.

"I'm just glad I could be of assistance." The kind-hearted woman told May genuinely.

"You were a lot of help, thank you!" May said as she started for the door. But before she had fully turned around she remembered something and doubled back. "Oh, and Nurse Joy?"

"Yes?" The pokemon Nurse responded.

"How did Glaceon know to come to you? It obviously knew that it could count on you to help me with this."

Nurse Joy smiled as she thought back. "Well, come to think of it I was talking to a sister of mine on the video phone before I had returned Glaceon to you. She had some strange rock-trainer romantically pursue her and so I gave her some advice. If I had to guess, Glaceon was watching us and realized that this sort of thing was right up my alley."

"Oh, ok." May replied, satisfied with the answer. "Thanks again!" she said as she waved and exited the building.

After walking with her partner for a ways in the crisp midnight air, May smiled. "A strange rock-trainer that romantically pursued a Nurse Joy?" After a moment's thought, she shook her head in disbelief. "No, it can't be."

Finally, the two reached the hotel and walked straight to May's room. She let her Glaceon sleep on the bed with her after she had changed into her sleeping clothes once more.

"I doubt I'll get any sleep tonight." She said as she gently stroked the cool, soft fur of her companion. "But now because I'm just too excited!"

But despite her hunch, May drifted off into a deep sleep before she knew it. It was a refreshing change from her usual tormented nights and somewhat felt as though she had broken her metaphorical chains. Chest rising and dropping in a peaceful rhythm, May slept while wearing a smile as images of her and Ash played in her mind. Glaceon was also partaking in an exceptionally good dream as she frolicked and played with a certain electric type.

* * *

The next morning, May was welcomed by an inevitably spectacular day as golden light fell onto her beautiful face. Slowly she opened her deep blue eyes and smiled at the awaited morning. Sitting up and stretching she looked over at the catlike pokemon that slept curled up beside her.

"Hey Glaceon," May said in her gentle mother-like purr to the now awakening creature. "Today's the day."

Glaceon attempted a reply as it stretched, but the sound of her mewing mixed with the yawn that escaped her throat made an awkward strained sound. May giggled as she turned and stood up from the bed. Stretching out once again, she crossed to the bathroom so that she could get ready for the day's travels. Excitedly she took a long hot shower and changed into her trainer clothes. She then brushed her teeth and hair, ending her routine by tying on her favorite red bandana around her head. Observing herself in the mirror, May smiled.

"I'm coming for you, Ash Ketchum."


	2. Chapter 2: Wrong Way

**Hey I know this chapter is a little overdue, but I promise that I'll start updating it more often. After you're done reading please review with your thoughts, questions, etc. and I'll get back to you.**

**Enjoy!**

**-Startersoverlegends**

* * *

A dreamy smile rested on May Maple's face as she stared out of the window at the moving scenery. Soft white clouds drifted in and out of her line of sight as the airplane gently hummed around her. It was a new experience for the teenager, as she had never traveled by plane before. She loved how she could see the world pass by below her as she moved toward her destination- Pallet Town. The very thought of arriving in the town and seeing Ash again fed her impatience as the smile on her face faded and her leg began to bounce restlessly.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" May sighed as she abruptly set her head back against her seat.

"Sadly no." May heard a polite voice from the aisle and turned her head to face the speaker. "But we'll be arriving in Pallet Town in another hour."

"Oh, thank you." May said to the flight attendant, masking her voice to sound satisfied with the answer. At first the experience of flight was exciting and fun, but it had now grown old. May let her eyes drift back out into the atmosphere past her reflection as she began to think about Ash again. After watching a lone plane pass by, she allowed her memories to take the place of the clouds that she had been watching. Before May knew it she was running through their history, from the moment they had first met until now as she stopped only to savor their most treasured adventures. She recalled the time that they had met Jirachi and she wished quietly every night for an opportunity to tell Ash how she felt- and that he would feel the same. Then the memory of the Tree of Life came into focus, when she had went with Ash to retrieve Pikachu from Mew. Although a decent amount of that adventure had been spent apart from Ash, May still cherished the moments that they did get to spend together. Finally she had made it to the recent memories of her departure as she went after him. She had woken up earlier than usual and quickly gotten ready for the journey. It was her first time out of the Region, so naturally May was excited. But what was more was the fact that in a matter of hours she would be reunited with the boy she loved. Quickly after getting ready she had left for the Airport and departed for Kanto. She chose to fly with a big-name company in aviation, but she couldn't help but be surprised when she first saw the abnormality of the plane she was going to be riding in- The large machine had been built and painted to look just like a Wingull. And now here she was, hours into the flight with another still to go. Finally an official-sounding voice came over the speakers to address the passengers.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now beginning our decent." The voice stated. "At this time please fasten your restraints."

_Finally. _May thought as she pulled the strap over her chest and clicked it into its lock. 3 hours was almost over, and then she would be in Kanto. Looking out of the window with interest, May watched the ground gradually come closer and closer until the plane gave a jerk signifying that they had touched down. Immediately she unstrapped the restraints and stood, glad to finally be able to move again.

"Ma'am, please remain seated until the Pilot releases the passengers." That same voice again.

With a groan May flopped back down onto the plush seat. After what seemed like forever the Pilot dismissed the passengers and the plane stirred. In a rush May grabbed her traveling bag of clothes and Trainer supplies and ran off of the vehicle (despite the flight attendant's rebukes). As she stepped out into the fresh air May smiled and stretched out. It was another beautiful day, the sun's warm rays balancing out against the slightly chilly temperature. A few Pidgey flushed into the air as she exited from the small Airport onto a dirt road. The town itself was quaint- mostly made up of little white houses with picket yards and meadows full of Miltank and Tauros. In the distance an old-timey windmill spun slowly in the breeze that carried through the fields. After taking in the scenery for a moment May remembered why she was here and began to run down the road to find Ash. In the distance she could see a relatively large square structure that stood out from the others.

_That must be Professor Oak's lab._ May thought as she made her way to the building. _Maybe he'll know where Ash is._

May had met the Pokemon Professor back when she had travelled with Ash. He seemed like a really nice guy, but naturally her little brother Max had gone fanboy and taken away most of her chances to talk with the expert. As she pushed open the doors to the building May was met by a large tiled room full of bookshelves and machinery. Seated at a large desk in the back was a man whom May immediately recognized as who she was looking for. Professor Oak was hunched over his desk, arms serving as a pillow as he napped. Judging by the mess of papers that surrounded him, May guessed that he had been up all night doing research of some sort.

"Professor Oak?" she said quietly as she set her luggage down. "Professor?"

"Wha- hmn!?" The Pokemon expert jolted up in his seat as May lightly shook his shoulder. "May? What on earth are you doing here?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"I came to see Ash. would you happen to know where he is?" She asked as politely as she could while still being in a hurry.

"Ash? Why, he was at his mother's house down the road just yesterday but-"

"Thank you!" May said hurriedly as she was already grabbing her bag and running for the door.

"Wait, May!" Oak called after her, but she was already gone. "I wonder what her rush is?" The Professor asked himself as he scratched his chin. For a moment he considered going after her, but knew that by the time he got to the Ketchum residence Ms. Ketchum would have already filled her in. The old man sighed as he got up and poured himself some coffee.

As May ran down the old road past fields and houses, she finally spotted one further away than the rest with a woman tending to some plants in its front yard. She was wearing a pink dress with a yellow bonnet covering her long red-brunet hair as she worked on some bushes out by the yard's fence.

"Excuse me miss," May asked as she approached the fence. "Would you happen to know where the Ketchum house is?"

The woman stood and smiled at May as she removed the bonnet.

"Why yes, this is it."

"Wait, so you're Ms. Ketchum?" May asked excitedly as she studied the woman. "Ash has told me so much about you!"

"Ash?" Ms. Ketchum looked confused for a moment. "So you must be one of his traveling friends then?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." May apologized as she realized how rude she was being. "I'm May Maple from Littleroot Town."

Ms. Ketchum's face lit up in a warm smile at the unexpected company of one of Ash's friends.

"It's nice to meet you. Would you like to come inside?" The woman offered as she gestured toward the house.

"No thank you." May said politely. "I just wanted to see Ash."

Suddenly a concerned look grew on Ms. Ketchum's face as she realized something.

"What did you say your name was?" She asked May slowly.

"May Maple." she replied, curious to what the issue was.

Ms. Ketchum stared at May for a long moment before speaking.

"May, I really think that you should come in." She said as she opened up the yard gate.

"O-Okay." May agreed as she began to sense that something was terribly wrong. Suspiciously, she followed Ms. Ketchum in through the screen door that led into the cozy house. Immediately there was a wonderful smell that met her, reminding May of the fact that she hadn't eaten in hours.

"What is that amazing smell?" She asked Ms. Ketchum as she looked around the room.

"Oh, I was just starting dinner before you arrived." The woman replied as she nodded at a steaming pot in the kitchen.

"Wow, Ash was right! You really are an amazing cook!" May said as she inhaled the marvelous aroma. Again, Ms. Ketchum looked concerned at the mention of her son.

"About Ash… May, I think you should take a seat." Ms. Ketchum said as she sat down on the couch. May, now getting that suspicious feeling again, sat beside her. For a few seconds Ms. Ketchum simply sat and looked down at her lap as she was obviously looking for the right things to say here. After only seconds of this, May couldn't take the suspense anymore and decided to speak up first.

"Is something wrong Ms. Ketchum?" May asked gently as she broke the silence.

"No, no. Everything's fine…" She replied, looking up into May's eyes. "But May… Ash isn't here."

"What do you mean?" May asked as she couldn't yet comprehend the statement. "Professor Oak said that Ash was just here yesterday."

Ms. Ketchum sighed. "May… Ash just left for Hoenn to look for _you_."

"_What?"_

* * *

"_What?" _Ash asked in disbelief of what he had just heard.

"I'm sorry sir, but miss Maple checked out this morning." The man behind the counter repeated. "She said something about going to the Kanto region."

"No! This can't be happening!" Ash said loudly as he kicked the counter hard. The result was nothing more than a hurt foot, which only upset the boy more. As Ash was unleashing his anger before them, Pikachu and Brock stood in shock- neither had ever seen him act like this before.

"Ash, calm down." Brock said gently and putting a reassuring hand on the trainer's shoulder. "It's okay."

At seeing his own anger, Ash let out a sigh and hung his head.

"I know, it's just… I really thought that I was going to get to see her again. I went through so much to get here, just to find that she's already gone."

Brock nodded. He hated seeing his friend like this and knew exactly what the boy was feeling. Ash hadn't been the same person since the two had said goodbye to May for Sinnoh. After a while Brock had figured out why and indirectly confronted Ash about it on many occasions. Each time Ash basically shut down, not saying a word until Brock had given up. That was, until about a week ago.

_As the two made their way to the Pokemon Center after another successful Gym battle, Ash spoke up._

"_Hey Brock," He started suddenly. It was one of the few things that he had said all morning. "Can I talk to you about something?"_

"_Sure." Brock replied, already somewhat aware of what was up._

"_You ever think about going back to Hoenn… You know, just to visit?"_

_Brock smiled. "This is about May, isn't it?"_

"_No!" Ash immediately denied. "Well… maybe. How'd you know?"_

"_Ash, I'm your best friend. I know that you pull out her picture every night when you think I'm asleep."_

_This was news to Ash. He had always been really careful when getting out the priceless photo, making sure that both Brock and Pikachu were asleep first. But now aware that Brock knew of his habit, Ash's cheeks blazed bright red with embarrassment. _

"_Oh…" Ash said quietly._

"_Listen, Ash." Brock started. "I know that you really miss her. You haven't been acting the same ever since we left."_

_A moment of silence passed before Ash replied._

"_I just… I can't let her go." He confessed. "I've tried to move on and focus on other things, but she's always right there in my head."_

_Brock nodded. "I figured that. So I came up with an idea for you two to see each other again."_

"_Really?" Ash asked as he turned to Brock. "What is it?"_

"_Well, we're already going to Pallet Town to see your mom in a few days, right?"_

"_Yeah." Ash replied curiously._

"_I was thinking that we could stay there for a couple of days and then head for Hoenn since we're already traveling and all."_

_Ash's eyes lit up for a moment, but soon a look of extreme worry came over his face._

"_But what if we can't find her? What if she doesn't want us to visit? What if she's with Drew?"_

_Brock chuckled. "I guess we won't know until we get there. But would you really want to not see her again because of the what-ifs?"_

"_No." Ash sighed._

"_Look Ash," Brock started. "It's normal to be nervous, but I don't think that there's anything to worry about. You two are old friends, and friends don't forget eachother."_

_Ash smiled for the first time in the conversation. "Thanks Brock." Then he turned to the electric mouse pokemon on his shoulder. "Hey Pikachu, do you want to go and see May again?"_

"_Pika Pikaaa!" It replied enthusiastically, more at the thought of seeing Evee again._

"_Then it's settled." Brock said. "After we visit Pallet Town for a bit, we'll go back to Hoenn."_

For the next few days Ash seemed like he was back to his old self again. He had the fire back in his eyes when he battled and spoke up a lot more. After spending a couple of days in Pallet Town, Ash and Brock had said their goodbyes to Ms. Ketchum, Professor Oak and Tracy before boarding a plane to the town holding the latest contest. Before long, the two had found out what Hotel that May had been staying in and went directly to it, Ash almost going at a sprint.

But here they were, standing at the reception desk having to face the news that completely apprehended their plans. Ash, Brock and Pikachu eventually went outside and sat on a bench as Ash calmed down.

"So what now?" Ash asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Well the receptionist said that she had gone to Kanto, so I think that she might have gone to Pallet Town to find you."

"Really?" Ash asked, oblivious.

"Of course." Brock replied as he smiled at his friend. "And if she would give up contests to see you, I think she must really like you."

_Okay, now we definitely have to find her._ Ash thought as a smile appeared on his face.

"That's the face I was looking for!" Brock said as he stood. "Now come on, let's call Professor Oak and ask if he's seen her."

* * *

"Here you go, dear. Drink this." Ms. Ketchum said gently as she handed May a cup of tea.

"Thank you…" May said as she felt the warmth from the cup spread into her hands.

A moment of silence passed as the two sat, sipping their tea. At hearing that Ash was in a different region, May had broken down in tears while Ms. Ketchum comforted her. After a few minutes May could pull herself together and Ms. Ketchum went to make them both something to drink.

"You know," Ms. Ketchum broke the silence as she observed May. "Ash has been talking about you a lot for quite some time now."

"Really?" May asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah." Ms. Ketchum nodded. "It seems like every conversation that we've had since he went to Sinnoh had you in it somewhere. I can't believe that I didn't recognize you when you first told me your name."

"It's okay." May replied. "So what kind of things did Ash say about me?" She tried to sound indifferent.

Ms. Ketchum smiled. "Well, he said that you were an extremely talented Pokemon Coordinator, and that you were also a really great friend."

_Oh, just a friend…_ May thought glumly as she politely listened to Ms. Ketchum.

After a moment Ms. Ketchum continued.

"I must say, Ash's description of you was spot-on."

"Huh?" May asked as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"You're a very beautiful young woman, May." Ms. Ketchum said as she took a sip of her tea. "He also mentioned your breathtaking cerulean eyes and perfect brunette hair."

"Ash said those things about me?" May asked in surprise.

"Mm-hm." Ms. Ketchum smiled. "It took a while, but I eventually got his more personal feelings toward you out of him."

"Personal feelings?"

Ms. Ketchum nodded. "He isn't one to come right out and say how he feels on the subject, but eventually I made him tell me."

The suspense was now killing May. "What did he say?"

With a giggle the woman went on.

"May, you are something really special to my Ash. He thinks that you're perfect. That's why he finally decided to leave Sinnoh to go after you."

May's head was now buzzing with this new information. _Ash really does feel the same way about me!_ She thought excitedly. Suddenly she stood up.

"Thanks Ms. Ketchum, but I really have to go and find him now."

"May," The woman started as she stood too. "It might be best if you just stay here and wait for him."

"But why?" May asked.

"Well knowing my Ash, he's already planning his way back here to be with you. And we don't want you to miss each other again."

May sighed. Ms. Ketchum was right but she just didn't want to wait anymore.

"That's exactly right." A familiar voice came from the door. "The smart thing to do would be to wait here until he and Brock arrive."

"Oh, Professor!" Ms. Ketchum greeted. "Please come in."

Stepping through the door and hanging his hat up, the Pokemon Professor turned to May.

"I just got off the video phone with Ash and Brock. They are buying tickets now for the next possible flight here, so going back to Hoenn now wouldn't do anybody any good now would it?"

"You're right professor…" May sighed. "It's just that I haven't seen him in two years and I don't want to wait anymore."

"Well, if you've waited two years then what's another day?" The professor asked with a smile. "Besides, now you have some free time. How about tomorrow morning you come by my lab and I'll give you a proper tour?"

"That sounds great Professor, Thank you!" May's spirits lifted at this. The lab was where Ash kept his pokemon, after all. This meant that she could meet them all and undoubtedly learn something in the process.

"You know, Max would kill me if he knew that I got an actual tour of your lab from the Professor himself."

The group chuckled at this.

"Speaking of Max, how is the young man? Still studying pokemon?"

With that, May filled the Professor in on the events that took place since she had last seen him back in hoenn. Ms. Ketchum had made a delicious meal and invited the professor to dine with them- which he enthusiastically agreed to. After the sun had set and they had all eaten, the Professor said his goodbyes and made his way back toward his laboratory.

"May, I can show you to your room now if you'd like." Ms. Ketchum offered after May yawned while helping to wash dishes.

"That would be great, thank you." May agreed as she turned to follow Ms. Ketchum. She was led upstairs to a hallway with three doors. Her room was directly across from Ash's old room, and in between them was a bathroom where she could shower and change.

"Thank you." May told Ms. Ketchum as she left to go to her own room. After this May changed into her sleeping clothes and climbed into the warm bed.

_Just one more day. Tomorrow you'll see him for sure._ She thought to herself as she drifted closer to sleep. _I wonder where he is right now? And what new pokemon he's caught?_ She smiled at the thought of Ash telling her about his adventures in that enthusiastic way of his. Soon, all of her thoughts faded into dream as the next day grew closer.


	3. Chapter 3: Reunited?

**Thanks to those readers who Reviewed or PM'd me in support of the story. This chapter goes out to you!**

**enjoy!**

**(I feel like I need to include this at least once- I do not by any means own Pokémon or it's characters.)**

* * *

"May?"

A voice called her name from behind the wooden door to her room. Instead of answering, however, the exhausted trainer simply rolled over and covered her head with a pillow.

"May, are you awake?"

Again it called for her between light knocks on the door.

"Just five more minutes, Max!" May instinctively yelled in her sleep-deprived state. After hearing a giggle, the door slightly squeaked open enough for Ms. Ketchum to peek in at her sleeping guest.

"Professor Oak is waiting for you." Ms. Ketchum said softly. "You'd better get up if you want that tour of his lab today."

For a moment this didn't make any sense to May, until the memories of yesterday slowly returned to her. Suddenly the girl bolted up in bed and looked to the clock, which read 10:30.

"Oh no, I'm late!" The girl cried as she jumped up from the bed. Ms. Ketchum closed the door so that May could get ready while she returned to housework.

After taking a quick shower and changing into a fresh set of clothes, she grabbed her trainer's bag and bolted out of the door, not slowing at all as she said her goodbyes. At seeing the haste of the teen, Ms. Ketchum smiled.

"Just like my Ash."

May tore down the road to the Professor's lab, retracing her steps from yesterday. Today was yet another relatively nice day, although the cool breeze and grey clouds in the distance threatened for rain later.

_I hope that the weather doesn't interfere with Ash and Brock's flight…_ She worried as she got ever closer to the building. _If they don't get here today, I don't know what I'll do._

Finally she arrived at the large double doors of the lab. Wasting no time, she burst through the entrance while gasping for breath. Both Professor Oak and Tracey flinched at this sudden arrival and turned to face the teen as she caught her breath.

"Are you alright May?" The Professor asked kindly.

"Did she run all the way here?" Tracey wondered aloud.

"I overslept… Sorry I'm… Late." she panted as she was still recovering from her sprint

The professor let out a chuckle at seeing her determination. In truth, it also reminded him a lot of Ash.

"Why, I'm flattered that you would put yourself through that for the sake of my tour, but we weren't going to start it without you."

May let out a relieved sigh. "Who is this?" She asked the professor as she looked at Tracey.

"Oh, of course. May this is Tracey, my assistant. Tracey meet May, a remarkable young pokemon coordinator and trainer."

"Nice to meet you." Tracey greeted as he held out his hand.

"The pleasure is mine." She agreed as she shook it.

"Now then," The professor continued when they were all acquainted. "Shall we begin?"

"Sure!" May said as she followed the professor further into the building. With the tour underway he led her through many rooms with all sorts of records and machinery alike. She would only occasionally ask questions, as the Professor and Tracey both did a great job of explaining what everything was for. About an hour into the demonstration the group stopped for lunch, a huge relief for a starving May. Both Professor Oak and Tracey stared in amazement at May's eating skill. While the two were only halfway through their sandwiches, May had already cleaned off multiple plates of food from the kitchen.

"And I thought that Ash was a fast eater!" Tracey exclaimed as she set aside yet another plate. May hadn't noticed how fast she was eating and blushed hard at the statement.

"So May," Oak started after a moment.

"Yes Professor?" May asked as she looked up from her food.

"I never got to ask you yesterday- what was the reasoning for your visit to Kanto?"

May thought for a moment.

"I heard that Ash was back, so I thought that I'd visit for myself." She said truthfully while not wanting to imply that she had romantic feelings for Ash.

"Wow, you must be a really great girlfriend to him." Tracey complimented her.

"W-What?" She asked as her face turned bright red. "I'm not his girlfriend!"

This was news to both the Professor and Tracey, who exchanged a glance.

"I'm sorry May. I just thought that since you came all the way here to see him, you two were together."

May didn't have a reply to this. To an extent Tracey was right. She really liked Ash a lot and knew now that he felt the same way, so did that make them a couple? This was all new to May, so she had no idea.

"Well then." The professor spoke up after finishing up his lunch. "I thought that next we could go and see the pokemon that stay here. Would you like that May?"

"Of course!" She replied enthusiastically. "I can't wait to see all of the different pokemon that Ash has caught."

With that the Professor led her and Tracey to a door in the back of the lab.

"I'm not sure how some of the pokemon here will react to a new face," The professor warned her before he opened the door. "So just be on alert."

After May agreed, the professor opened the door leading into a giant field. In the field were flower gardens and fruit trees and even a river that cut through it. Overall, it was a beautiful area and obviously very well tended-to. But what was more were the countless foreign pokemon who peppered the landscape

"Wow Professor, it's gorgeous!" May exclaimed as she took in the bright scenery.

"You can thank Tracey for that." The professor said as he smiled at the land. "He makes sure that the field is in top shape."

As the shadow of a large bird pokemon passed over the group, the Professor remembered something.

"May, do you happen to have your pokemon with you?" He asked politely.

"Sure. I have six with me right now." She replied truthfully.

"Would you mind letting me have a look then?"

"Not at all." She answered as she tossed up a handful of pokeballs. "Alright everyone, come on out!"

In a flash, six pokemon appeared while surrounded by a barrage of special effects as a result of the Contest Seals installed on their capsules. In a moment Glaceon, Blaziken, Blastoise, Skitty, Munchlax, and Venusaur materialized before the group.

"Oh my!" The professor exclaimed as he inspected the team before him. "You must be quite the trainer! Many of these pokemon require a good leader to grow and evolve properly."

"Professor, isn't that one of the pokemon that you were looking for?" Tracey asked, referring to Glaceon.

"Of course!" The professor said as he observed the Fresh Snow pokemon. "May, do you mind if I take a closer look?"

"Not at all." May agreed as The Professor kneeled down next to the Ice type.

"I see…" He said unconsciously as he pet the pokemon, who happily purred. "It seems that a cold aura surrounds this pokemon as it releases energy. Interesting…"

May on the other hand was curious as to why they took a particular interest towards Glaceon rather than her other pokemon.

"You see May," The professor said as he stood, answering her question before she could ask. "Glaceon is an evolution of the pokemon Evee."

"Right. It evolved shortly after Ash and Brock left Hoenn."

Tracey and the Professor exchanged glances again.

"But Professor… Can't Evee only evolve into Glaceon in the Sinnoh region?" Tracey asked.

"Correct." The professor answered as he scratched his chin. "Along with a few other isolated regions where a certain type of frozen rock is native. But Hoenn isn't one of them."

"Is something wrong?" May asked, usnure as to what they were talking about.

"No, everything's fine." The Professor answered, still deep in thought. "But if you don't mind me asking, how did Evee evolve?"

May thought back for a moment, remembering the event.

"It was right after a contest, and Evee and I were out training in the woods by Rustboro City." She recalled. "Suddenly, Evee stopped its training and perked up. I asked it what was wrong, but before I could even finish my sentence it took off into the woods without me. Naturally I ran after it and eventually found it being pet by an old woman who lived alone in a cabin. She asked me if it was my pokemon and I apologized for if it bothered her. Then she laughed and told me that it was a very smart Evee before handing me a weird stone."

"What did the stone look like?" The professor inquired.

"It was a light blue color and felt like it was frozen solid despite how warm it was outside." She answered. A look of understanding came over the Professor's face before he asked her to continue with her story.

"I asked her what the stone was for but she just smiled and said to keep training Evee with it close by. To me it was just a piece of a rock, but Evee seemed to really like it so I kept it out while we trained. Then out of nowhere Evee started to glow and evolved into Glaceon." She concluded.

"And what became of the stone?" The professor asked once more.

"Well after Evee evolved I looked down and saw that the stone wasn't frozen anymore. It was just like a normal rock again."

"I see." Professor Oak said. "It all makes sense now!"

"What is it Professor?" Tracey asked.

"Well, the stone that May received from the woman was obviously a shard from one of the frozen rocks required for Glaceon's evolution. And because it was just a shard and not a whole formation, the stone lost all of its frozen energy when Evee evolved."

"Oh I get it." Tracey said. "Wow May, you're very lucky that happened to you! Glaceon is really rare and also the perfect pokemon for contests."

"Yeah." May agreed as she kneeled down and hugged the pokemon. "I would have loved it no matter what it turned into, but I'm glad that it chose Glaceon."

"Glaae!" The pokemon mewed happily as it rubbed up against its trainer.

"Well that's fantastic." The professor said as he smiled at the two. "It seems that you have strong bonds with all of your pokemon."

"Definitely." May said as she stood and turned to smile at all of her friends.

"Would you like to meet some of Ash's pokemon now?" Tracey asked her after he and the Professor had met hers.

"Of course!" May agreed as they walked out into the field teeming with Ash's partners from years past.

* * *

"So that'll be two tickets to Pallet Town?" A blue-haired woman asked from behind a desk.

"That's right." Ash agreed as he exchanged some pokemoney for the two plane tickets.

"Alright, your flight leaves in 30 minutes." The woman said with a smile.

"Okay, thank you." Ash replied as he turned to make his way over to Brock, who was sitting on a bench with a heartbroken look on his face. As usual he had gone into romance mode when the two approached the attractive receptionist and, as usual, Crogunk had rewarded him with a Poison Jab attack to the ribs.

"We have a half-hour before the flight leaves." Ash told his friend with a smile as he handed over the ticket. "How's your side?"

"If only I could keep Crogunk in its pokeball when I make my move," Brock sighed while Crogunk gave its signature throaty chuckle from beside its trainer. With his head hung, Brock recalled his Poison Typed pokemon.

"Since we have some time, do you want to get something to eat?" Ash asked hopefully with Pikachu riding on his shoulder.

"They should have some food on the plane." Brock replied to his friend. "If you want we can board now and eat a bit until takeoff."

Ash wholeheartedly agreed and so the three handed their tickets to the Flight Attendant and boarded the plane. Little did they know, however, that they were being watched.

"Do you have a visual?" A small voice asked from an earpiece.

"Affirmative." A man wearing the earpiece along with a long trench coat responded as he watched the two trainers cross onto their plane. "Both are boarding flight 106 to Pallet Town as we speak."

"Excellent." The voice responded. "Everything is going exactly as planned. Stand by."

"Roger." The man slipped back further into the shadow that he was observing the two from.

As Ash and Brock sat on the plane dining on an assortment of snacks from the Attendant, Ash suddenly felt uneasy. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it felt like something was wrong.

"Hey Brock," He spoke up after a few minutes of trying to ignore the feeling.

"Yeah?"

"Does it feel like something's not right to you?" Ash asked, already feeling a little silly for asking the question.

Brock chuckled. "That's just all of the traveling messing with your head. Don't let it get to you."

Although Ash wasn't totally convinced, he shrugged it off and decided to take Brock's advice as he reached for another snack.

* * *

"No! Bring that back!" May shouted as she chased an Aipom through the grass. Apparently this particular pokemon had a thing for taking headwear, as it had snuck up behind her and snatched her favorite bandana with its tail. She knew that there was little to no chance of catching up to it like this, but refused to give up. Finally the Aipom scurried up an apple tree, taunting her from a high branch. But to its great surprise and fright, May began climbing the tree herself despite her inexperience.

"You'd better give that back right now!" She threatened as she progressed upward toward the Long Tail pokemon. Aipom, seeing no other way out, obliged and climbed down onto her shoulder, placing the bandana back onto her head. With a smile she made her way down the tree and fixed her hair while Aipom bounded off.

"I'm surprised you caught up to Aipom so fast." Tracey complimented as he and Professor Oak approached her.

"An impressive feat indeed." The professor agreed as even Ash would have a hard time catching up to the nimble pokemon.

After about an hour in the field May had met most of Ash's pokemon- Bulbasaur, Charizard, Kingler, Muk, a whole herd of Tauros, Snorlax, Heracross, Totodile, Noctowl (The source of the shadow seen earlier), Quilava and Bayleef. And of course there were some familiar faces from his travels in Hoenn, who seemed to hardly have changed a bit.

"I think this is a perfect ending point for our tour." Professor Oak said, content with what they had seen.

"Thank you for showing me your lab Professor." May said. "And you too Tracey. I had a lot of fun."

"Any time." The professor replied.

"No problem." Tracey agreed.

Suddenly the roaring sound of an engine could be heard in the distance before eventually slowing, then dying down.

"Right on time." The professor said with a smile as he checked his watch. "That should be Ash's flight now."

"Really? Already?" May asked, amazed at how fast time had gone by.

"Yup. If I remember right, he's going to his house right from the plane."

"Oh, then I'd better go. Thanks again for everything!"

Before the two men knew it, May was running back up toward the lab from the field, leaving them behind. Even so, it wasn't unexpected so the two simply chuckled as they followed.

* * *

As Ash and Pikachu stepped out of the Airport and onto the familiar dirt road, a smile appeared on both of their faces. Before long they would be with May again, as well as Ms. Ketchum, Professor Oak and many of their other longtime friends. Unable to hold his excitement any longer, Ash began to run down the road with only his trainer bag to slow him down.

"Come on Pikachu, I'll race you to Mom's house!" He challenged as the electric mouse pokemon bounded beside him.

"Pika piiii!" The pokemon replied enthusiastically in agreement. Brock, however, wasn't so lucky.

"Hey guys, wait up!" He called as he ran after them. But unlike Ash, he was carrying a much larger load and quickly fell behind.

Before long Ash and Pikachu could see Ms. Ketchum in the distance as she waited for them outside of the house. Laughing, the two ran even faster as the finish was now within reach. But just at the last moment Pikachu managed to pull ahead using Quick Attack, beating Ash by a few paces.

"No fair!" Ash complained as he approached Pikachu, who was already being pet affectionately in his Mom's arms.

"Welcome back, dear!" Ms. Ketchum greeted her son as they hugged.

"Jeez Ash!" Brock interrupted as he jogged up to them. "You shouldn't take off like that!"

"Sorry," Ash apologized as he let go of his mom. "So where's May?"

Ms. Ketchum smiled. "She went down to Professor Oak's lab for a tour. She should be back any minute now…"

"Ash!" A familiar voice came from behind as soon as Ms. Ketchum had finished speaking. Turning around, Ash was nearly knocked over by a charging May as she gave him a big hug.

"It's good to see you too!" Ash greeted as he hugged her back. The moment was almost surreal for the two, like a dream since they had imagined and fabricated this moment every day for more than two years. But here they were, together at last as they embraced in front of his house. Finally they separated and a moment passed where they simply smiled into the other's eyes, faces close as they held each other. But just as the two teens began to close the distance between their lips, something stopped them.

"Aw, how cute." Came a condescending voice from the wood's edge. "The two lovebirds finally reunite. It's unfortunate that I have to do this- Metagross use Hyper Beam!"

* * *

**So there's a cliff hanger for you. What did you think? Review or PM me with your thoughts, and don't be afraid to be critical!**

**By the way, this chapter pretty much sets up the rest of the story, so detail is critical.**

**Thanks,**

**-Startersoverlegends**


	4. Chapter 4: Never Again

**Sorry for the late update, I started this chapter the day after I posted 3 but took a month long break about halfway through haha.**

**Regardless, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

With a flash the ground beside the two teens erupted into fiery light, sending them flying backward as well as knocking over Brock and Ms. Ketchum in the process. Slowly the intense beam climbed upward toward the white house, leaving a path of destruction as a small explosion occurred on contact. Finally the beam stopped- but not without doing massive damage to the house and its surroundings. While dust and rubble rained down upon him, Ash began to frantically look for May. When the blast hit she had been torn away from his grip and off to the side of him somewhere. Finally he saw a familiar outline laying a couple of yards away.

"May!" He called through the gloom as he shakily got to his feet and stumbled over to her. His ears were still ringing from the blast and he could feel a burning sensation in his right leg, but May had the top priority right now.

"May, are you alright?" He asked as he kneeled down beside her. Their entire surroundings had been drastically altered from being pristine and beautiful to dark and filthy as the destruction of the house rained down. Slowly May stirred with a cough.

"Ash?" She asked as she sat up. Apparently the blast had temporarily knocked her unconscious. "What happened?"

Looking up, Ash could just barely see sunlight filter through the dim of the previous destruction while the dust settled around them.

"Come on," He said as he helped her up. Slowly he led her out of the dust cloud and into the sunlight once more, when she suddenly gasped.

"Ash, your leg!"

"Huh?" Looking down he could see it now. The blast had seared an area of skin stretching from just below his knee up onto his lower thigh, revealing bits of bone in certain places. This actually surprised him a lot even as he could still feel some pain. Immediately he figured that the amount of adrenalin in his system must have lessened it greatly as the wound looked excruciatingly painful.

"You _missed_!? How could you miss, you pathetic excuse for a pokemon!"

Both Ash and May looked to the source of the commotion. It came from a woman who was now angrily scolding the large metallic pokemon that stood beside her. The woman had long pinkish hair which braided behind her head and wore a strange white uniform.

"Team Rocket?" May asked as she strained her still-adjusting eyes to see detail on the outfit.

"No…" Ash said as he also tried to distinguish the attacker. "It almost looks like… Team Galactic?"

Realizing that the two kids had now made her out, the woman gave a smirk.

"By the time I'm done with you two, you'll wish that blast had killed you." She looked back over at her Steel-type partner. "Another Hyper Beam, go!"

As another glowing red ball began to form before the creature as it prepared to attack, Ash grabbed May and got between her and the source, hoping to form a human shield. When the sound of the blast released both tensed up in anticipation only to realize that they weren't hit.

"Ash, look!" May exclaimed as she pointed over his shoulder.

Looking back Ash saw the opposite of what he had expected. Defending them from the blast was his Charizard, who was firing back with an impressive Flamethrower. Even so it was obvious that it was no match for the powerful move on its own, so Ash quickly called for assistance.

"Pikachu, help Charizard!"

"Pika!" The reply came as the small yellow pokemon ran to Charizard's side from behind some rubble. From that same pile of wreckage also stood Brock and Ms. Ketchum. Relieved now in the knowledge that everyone was okay, Ash could focus on the battle.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack!" He commanded as the pokemon discharged a beam of yellow energy. When both blasts met the Hyper Beam it wavered then exploded as they matched power.

"Hm. Not bad, Ketchum. But how will you do against two more?" The mystery woman challenged as she tossed two more pokeballs up on each side of Metagross. "Tyranitar! Aggron! Teach this kid a lesson."

"Hey, that's not fair!" May instinctively cried out as the three massive pokemon squared off against his two.

"Fair?" The woman replied with a sarcastic laugh. "What do you think this is, a Gym battle? Tyranitar, Aggron, Attack!"

"Not so fast!" Brock yelled as he rushed to Ash's side. "Steelix! Crogunk! Go!"

"And I won't let you get away with this either!" May agreed as she took his other side. "Glaceon, Blaziken! help us out!"

As four more pokemon joined the brawl, it was obvious that the tables had turned. Suddenly outnumbered six to three, a look of worry came over her face as the woman ran through possible scenarios in her mind.

"Mom, call Officer Jenny!" Ash called without taking his eyes off of the attacker. "It's over. Just recall your pokemon and give it up."

At hearing his words the woman smiled. But it wasn't a friendly smile- it was one of defiance and self-assurance.

"Do you really think that I'm just going to give up so easily?" She asked with a sarcastic laugh. "Now!"

With her command two more people emerged from the woods and joined her side. Both were in matching uniforms, but unlike hers they were darker and didn't stand out so much.

"Go, Kadabra and Haunter!" The man on her right called.

"And you, Graveler and Machoke!" The other agreed as they both cast out their pokeballs.

Once again Ash's side was outnumbered, but he still had faith that they could win this. In his trainer bag he still had a few other pokemon, and knew that May and Brock did too. On the other hand, all three knew that if she had two trainers as backup at the ready then she might have more. Tension rose as the trainers stared each other down, anticipating the other's move. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, something snapped.

"Bullet Punch, Crunch, Double-Edge! Go!" The woman yelled as her pokemon complied, breaking the tension. Suddenly commands were being called all over the field as the pokemon went at it between them.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Steelix, Iron Head! Crogunk, Poison Jab!"

"Glaceon, Blizzard! And Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!"

As their trainers' command, the pokemon surged forward amidst blasts of Fire, Electricity and Ice. Charizard's flamethrower managed to hit Metagross directly, inflicting major damage. But Metagross also returned a successful hit, sending Charizard back a few feet. Meanwhile, Blaziken had just rammed into Aggron with a flaming knee and managed to avoid its Double-Edge attack due to its impressive speed. As Aggron recovered from its missed attack, Steelix plowed into it headfirst, pushing it back. Tyranitar also had its hands full as Pikachu hit it with a stunning Thunderbolt attack which was swiftly followed with a Poison Jab by Crogunk. Gracefully, Glaceon launched a Blizzard attack that hit all three main opponents without hurting an ally, as its many years competing in contests had honed its accuracy.

"Are you two idiots going to do something or just stare!?" The woman yelled in fury as her pokemon took on even more damage. Snapping out of their trance, the two goons attacked.

"Kadabra, use Psychic! Haunter, try a Shadow Ball!"

"Graveler, Rollout and Machoke use Cross-Chop!"

With their forces now more or less equaled, another stalemate occurred while the intensity of the combat increased. Through it, pokemon fell on each side only to get back up for the sake of their trainers. After several minutes of the chaotic melee, there were only the three original pokemon left on the woman's side.

"You idiots! I said to battle, not to get pushed around by a bunch of kids!" She screamed in fury. But in truth she wasn't much better off. Her three pokemon were just barely still standing.

"Commander, look!" One of the two got her attention by pointing down the road. Sure enough, a large dust cloud could be seen in the distance quickly coming their way. Leading the cloud on a motorcycle was none other than Officer Jenny, accompanied by her loyal Growlithe in the sidecar and two officers with similar vehicles on each side. Behind them were even more Officers on foot, along with a pair of charging Arcanine.

"We must leave now!" The same goon said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"No matter. I had a plan B in case something went wrong."

Suddenly she pulled out a small black ball with a button on the top from her side pocket. Upon touching it the ball inflated and started to flash before she threw it at the ground next to the opposing team. For a moment the teens and pokemon stared at the contraption curiously, before its seal opened and began quickly emitting a thick black smoke.

"Don't breathe it in!" Brock could be heard yelling through the already consuming smog. "It might be toxic!"

All trainers and pokemon alike stumbled through the darkness before each recalled their team into their pokeballs. Shortly after, Ash managed to find a large familiar shape through the dark.

"Charizard, use your wings to blow away the smoke!" Ash yelled through his hand, which had been serving as a makeshift gas mask. The large dragon-like pokemon began to flap its wings rapidly into the fog, causing it to slowly clear. Once the concentration was low enough that they could see, everyone in the area coughed and gasped for breath. Charizard, still heavily wounded from the recent battle, collapsed once he had cleared the smoke.

"Is everyone okay?" Brock asked as he turned to Ash, who was tending to his fainted fire-type pokemon.

"I think so… May, are you- May?"

Ash was completely shocked to see that May was no longer here with them. After all, she had been standing beside him just moments ago. Looking around for an answer, Ms. Ketchum gasped over from what was left of the front porch.

"What is _that_?" She asked as she stared up at the sky. Following her gaze, Ash's heart plummeted. Rising up above the tree line was a floating metallic platform with some sort of psychic energy allowing it to levitate. On the platform stood the woman and henchmen that they had just been fighting, but also a large struggling bag that had the form of a person beneath. Holding the bag were both of the goons, one taking each side.

"MAY!" Ash cried out, but it wasn't helping now. The platform was now silently gliding away from them with great speed. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"No!" Brock stopped Pikachu from performing the impulsive attack. "Ash, if you do that you could really hurt May too!"

"Yeah but… They can't just take her! I won't let them!" The dark-haired boy yelled as he sprinted off in the direction of the ship as it faded into the distance. Despite his now heavily stinging leg, Ash barreled on after the girl he loved and the terrible people who took her from him.

"Ash!" Brock exclaimed as he chased after the boy. Meanwhile, Officer Jenny had just pulled up and was now talking to a shaken Ms. Ketchum.

As he ran through the dense woods after May, Ash's thoughts were going just about as fast as he was.

_This can't be real… There's no way that this just happened. Why would they take May? HER of all people! I have to keep running. My leg feels like it's on fire- But that doesn't matter. I can't stop now. I'll never stop, I won't let them take her like that! Who are they anyway? It doesn't matter, when I catch them they'll be sorry. _

Brock continued after a determined Ash for several minutes, surprised at his friend's speed given that he had an injured leg. Ash on the other hand was steadily losing strength to keep going. After running an impressive distance, the teenager's leg began to stiffen, throwing off his running. Before he knew it, his whole leg had locked up and he, in turn, had fell hard onto the ground.

"No!" Ash cried once he slid to a stop under a tree. If his leg was on fire earlier, now it felt completely dead. That was, if you took away the intense pain that engulfed his whole limb. Even so, he wanted to will it alive, to somehow force it to stand and keep running. Feeling discouraged and useless, Ash let out a scream through the woods. As Pidgey and Sparrow flushed from the surrounding foliage, Brock rushed into eyesight through some bushes.

"Ash!" He exclaimed in shock at seeing his friend so hurt. Ash's leg had now swelled to almost twice its size, his medium-light skin replaced by a dark red color and covered in bruises.

"Don't worry about me, go after May!" Ash continued on, though Brock knew that he was being irrational. By now May had probably been taken miles away, and so running after her made no sense. Besides, it was obvious that Ash needed immediate medical attention.

"I'm sorry Ash, but we need to get you to Nurse Joy right now." Brock said as he lifted his crippled friend into his arms.

"No!" Ash cried as Brock began to carry him back the way they had come. "Brock, she needs our help!"

"Ash, stop!" The older said in a firm voice, putting an end to Ash's struggling. "There is nothing we can do for her right now. The quicker that we get you back, the quicker that we can help her. Now quit fighting me and relax."

Ash rested there in silence for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"Ok."

With a nod, Brock began to run back toward what used to be the Ketchum residence, tearing through the forest until he could see sunlight signifying the wood's edge. Ash had gone limp in his arms somewhere along the way, so Brock was in a rush to find medical assistance quick. Crossing out into the grass field, it was obvious that word had spread. Now standing before the half-destroyed house were several police officers and detectives, as well as Professor Oak, Tracey, Nurse Joy, and Ms. Ketchum.

"It'll be alright, Delilah." Brock could hear the Professor talking as he approached. "I just talked to Officer Jenny, and she said that they are doing everything they can to find who did this."

"Thank goodness…" Ms. Ketchum said with a worried expression. "I'm just so worried about May, and Ash too. He can be so reckless sometimes, I just don't know what I'd do if he got into trouble with those thugs."

"Hey, isn't that Ash over there?" Tracey asked as he saw Brock approaching. Immediately Ms. Ketchum and the professor turned around and were astonished by what they saw.

"Oh dear!" The Professor exclaimed as he noticed the boy's heavily wounded leg.

"Ash!"

Ms. Ketchum ran over to Brock who had now set the unconscious trainer down in the grass.

"What happened to him?" Delilah asked with concern heavy in her voice as she studied her son.

"It'll be alright, but I really need to find Nurse Joy." Brock answered, looking through the crowd.

The search for the Pokemon Nurse was quick given that there were so many people on the lookout for her. Once she was informed that there was a heavily injured boy in the area, Joy immediately called for a stretcher to wheel him back to the Pokemon Center. From there Brock and Tracey gently lifted Ash onto the white cart where he was hastily transported to the Center.

"Is he going to be alright?" Ash's mother asked the Nurse as she stopped the cart in an operating room.

Nurse Joy stared down at his leg for a moment before nodding. "We'll do the best that we possibly can. But for now I'm going to have to ask you all to leave the room while Chancey and I start operating."

Reluctantly, the group agreed and left the room to sit in the waiting area. There, Ms. Ketchum sobbed quietly into her arm while The Professor and Brock attempted to comfort her. Pikachu was there as well, having stayed behind at the house to comfort the dazed woman when Ash ran off. Tracey, on the other hand, was pacing the room as he tried to imagine who would do such a thing to innocent people. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the door slowly opened and the group stood to face Nurse Joy.

"How is he?" Professor Oak asked once she and Chancey had both exited the room.

"He is… alright." The nurse answered.

There was a unanimous sigh of relief throughout the room at this news.

"However," She continued, "He should never had ran on his leg after getting hit with a Hyper Beam like that. The wound would have been bad enough alone, but due to his continued use of it after the attack it will take much longer to heal completely."

"How long?" Brock asked.

"It's hard to say." The nurse said as she thought. "He's in a cast at the moment. But due to Chancey's advanced healing powers and the medicine I gave him, he should be able to remove the cast within a week or so. Even then, I would highly recommend not overusing his leg for a couple of months."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Ms. Ketchum said as she wiped her eyes dry. "If it wasn't for you, well I don't know what could have happened."

Nurse Joy smiled. "I'm just happy to help, it is my job after all. But to be safe, I think that Ash should stay here until the cast is ready for removal."

The group agreed before asking to see Ash. The Nurse allowed it, although warned them that they would have to remain quiet as he slept so that the cast couldn't be moved out of place and set wrong. Entering the room, each could see that it was like one that you would find in a hospital. Ash was laying peacefully in a bed, which faced a wall-mounted TV beside a window. Next to the bed sat a chair and side table, holding a lamp and a small vase filled with flowers. At seeing her sun again, Ms. Ketchum's eyes watered up but she managed to keep from crying. Slowly she crossed over to the bed and kissed the teen on his forehead.

"Please get better soon." She whispered before crossing out of the room. The rest of the group followed her, planning to visit later once he had woken up. Pikachu was the only one who stayed behind, jumping up onto the bed and looking at Ash with a somber expression.

"Pikachu?" Nurse Joy asked when she re-entered the room. "What are you still doing here?"

"Pika, pika chu." It replied, looking back to his trainer.

Nurse Joy gave an encouraging smile. "Sure, you can stay here with him for as long as you'd like. In fact, I'll go get you some pokefood right now."

As she left, Pikachu turned and curled up into Ash's side, who placed his hand gently on the Mouse Pokemon in his sleep. With a small smile, the loyal electric-type closed its eyes and began to nap aswell.

_Now those are friends for life. _Nurse Joy thought with a smile as she came back with a bowl of name-brand pokefood. Setting it on the nightstand for Pikachu to eat later, she left her patient to his recovery.

To anyone watching, Ash was in a peaceful state while he slept as he hardly moved at all. But contrary to appearance, in his mind all that he saw was May as she was ripped out of his life once again.

_I'm going to find her. _Ash thought through his exhaustion. _And I'm never going to lose her again._

* * *

**Alright, so there's 4. I actually meant for this chapter to be much longer, but figured that instead I would split the events into two separate chapters. Chapter 5 will be crucial to the story line, as Ash takes action. **

**If it's not too much to ask, I would greatly appreciate your reviews. It doesn't have to be long, (unless you want it to be) just please let me know what you think and etc.**

**thanks!**

**-Startersoverlegends**


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